


wondering wonderfully alone

by asphxdels



Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Because science, Cute, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Old Ghosts, Pre-Relationship, Tony Stark Bingo 2020, consider them cursed, ghost!bucky, ghost!tony, not exactly death but not exactly living either, they met a science fair, tony's genius and rants
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:08:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23417233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asphxdels/pseuds/asphxdels
Summary: The story of how Bucky got his life (or rather,unlife) unmuted.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Tony Stark, James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark
Comments: 2
Kudos: 50
Collections: Tony Stark Bingo 2020





	wondering wonderfully alone

**Author's Note:**

> Without [EachPeachPearPlum](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EachPeachPearPlum/pseuds/EachPeachPearPlum) being my beta, this piece would be a total disaster, so biggest thanks go to her for helping me out. <3
> 
> This one's for [Tony Stark Bingo 2020](https://tonystarkbingo.tumblr.com/):
> 
> Title: wondering wonderfully alone, until;  
> Collaborator: [dr-stxrk](https://dr-stxrk.tumblr.com/) #3114  
> Square: T4 - Old Ghosts  
> Pairing: Bucky/Tony  
> Rating: Gen  
> Triggers/warnings: ghosts (but not in a scary way)  
> Tags: Ghost!Bucky, Ghost!Tony, first meetings, pre-relationship  
> Word count: 1802

It was only after many years of quiet and living in between moments that were mirroring each other that Bucky realized he couldn’t remember how much time had passed since he had last felt something real.

He had to admit, being able to float around effortlessly and without being spotted by other people had its perks, which Bucky had made use of from time to time to cure the colorlessness of his existence. In his first years as this— this _creature_ , he reveled in the fact that he could now quite literally _haunt_ his past enemies, even though his new form didn’t let him interact with matter except in some occasional cases.

Nevertheless, he found ways to have his fun. After all, he had nothing but time.

He came across others like him every now and then, though they were always somehow different. They didn’t talk, they wouldn’t even look at him when _he_ talked to _them_ which frustrated Bucky to no end until he felt it getting monotonous like everything else.

All the ones he had come across so far were just like the textbook ghosts Bucky once imagined all ghosts were like.

He remembered that one time, one of them had just flickered into nothingness and then back again in front of him, floating away casually a second later like fading in and out of existence was just routine to her.

On second thought, maybe it _was_. Bucky wouldn't know. Even just thinking about the other ghosts made Bucky’s head hurt on a good day, so he didn’t think when he could help it. He didn’t want to let the fear that someday, he might become one of them seep into his soul. To his relief, he hadn’t forgotten himself so far. Not entirely, _not yet_.

So imagine his surprise when he met another one who didn’t forget. Who talked. _A lot_.

***

After the curse took his mortal body away and left him with this transparent form of a ghost, Bucky had spent a couple of decades haunting an abandoned warehouse close to his neighborhood. He thought being close to his friends and family would be good, until one day it wasn’t.

After his mother died of old age, he decided he didn’t want to be there to see his loved ones go. So he left. After that, he never stayed in the same place for more than a few months, traveling to run away from his doubts and fears and the desire to just give in to the pull. That’s how he met with other cursed ones who wandered around like lost children, though they seemed as if they didn’t want to be found. They weren’t happy or upset per se; their transparent faces were fully stripped of any emotion.

Sometimes, Bucky wondered if everyone who was trapped in this transparency was cursed like he was, or if there was another reason for them to become what they had become, but it wasn’t like he could ask anyone so he just assumed that was the way it worked for them all.

Bucky’s _unlife_ continued in a way that somehow brought in predictability and variation at the same time until the day he met Tony at a science fair in a relatively small town.

The local high school was hosting the event so the kids could present their term projects accompanied by a demonstration. Bucky had been intrigued by anything related to science and technology for many reasons since he was the same age as the little kids rushing around the fair excitedly, so he ~~walked~~ floated into the town square where the fair was held. Passing through several handmade volcanoes and small, mostly harmless explosions, a flickering — no, _sparkling_ — figure caught his eye near the no-magnet motor and the electric generator a bunch of kids was fussing about. Apparently, something was causing the machine to short-circuit every two minutes and that was the first time Bucky heard a fellow ghost talk.

The ghost was explaining what was wrong with the mechanics in a rapid-fire of words, and for a second Bucky thought the kids were actually listening, that a ghost and some people were having a conversation. He got over his confusion quickly when he got close enough to them to hear the ghost’s frustration more clearly, his hand gestures becoming more erratic every passing minute his instructions went unfollowed.

 _Not a conversation then_ , Bucky thought with a frown plastered on his face as he floated closer and closer to the stand covered by various tools and pieces of electronics.

Then, not knowing what to say, he froze. For the first time in years, _in decades_ , he was about to talk with someone, not just _at_ them and likely to gen an answer that would initiate an actual conversation. What was he supposed to lead with?

On an impulse, he decided to go with a joke. “Kids, am I right? They never listen, these days.” God, what a joke his life had become.

As soon as the last words left his mouth, the ghost’s moving hands froze mid-air. He slowly lowered his arms without looking at Bucky’s way and Bucky’s stomach twisted in a way that was far too familiar. For a brief second, he wondered if he had just given himself false hope and set himself up to be disappointed.

Under Bucky’s anticipatory gaze, Tony looked around calmly to see who Bucky was trying to talk to, but there was no one standing behind him and the kids were the only people who were close enough to have heard Bucky’s voice. Finally, he seemed to accept that someone was talking to _him_ , raising his eyes to meet with Bucky’s expectant yet curious gaze.

At this point, Bucky’s ice-blue eyes were full of hope and unadulterated anticipation, and maybe just a hint of fear. The emotions dancing in the ghost’s honey-brown eyes matched Bucky’s in a second. Then, he smiled and Bucky thought the sun was shining upon him, warming his skin, making him feel human again if he remembered the feeling right after so long.

“I know, right?" He managed to say, drawing a small smile playing on the other ghost's lips. "No one ever listens, nowadays.”

His smile had a sad edge to it that made Bucky's heart ache, and just looking at him had Bucky wanting to wrap his arms around his small frame. He wanted to erase the melancholy out of the lines of his face with his fingers tips and hear him laugh away the sadness and heartbreak.

Instead, he flashed a matching smile in return and offered his name like a decent, functional adult.

“Bucky.”

“Tony.”

After that, neither of them tried to offer each other their hands but they both hesitated for a moment.

“Well, this is awkward,” Tony said, breaking the silence and getting a sincere chuckle out of Bucky.

In Bucky’s defense, he hadn’t shaken anyone’s hand in decades, let alone a _ghost’s_. He hadn’t even thought about what would happen, what he would feel if he touched another ghost.

What would happen if another ghost touched _him_?

“Okay, so, just to be clear, how long have you been standing over there and listening in on me yelling at these kids? Because, well, I’ve been saying some unpleasant things…” He flicked his wrist over the group of students he was floating over like everything else in the world that wasn’t related to the conversation he and Bucky are having was just an unimportant detail. “... to the kids over there that I certainly wouldn’t want to be held accountable for and, you know—”

Bucky couldn’t help but laugh again, his light voice interrupting Tony’s seemingly unending rant, and god, how long had it been since he had a real laugh like this?

Just as he managed to pull himself together, he made a gesture of zipping his mouth closed and jokingly said, “My lips are sealed.” He felt the corner of his eyes crinkle with delight as an earnest smile spread across his face. “I don’t think there’s anyone I could tell about it anyway, so… yeah,”

“Yeah,” Tony repeated lamely, scratching the back of his neck as if only just realizing how ridiculous he had sounded. In _his_ defense, however, this whole situation was ridiculous to start with. In a good way, he decided, nodding to himself.

“So. You come here often?” Bucky tried flirtily, accompanied by a preposterous wink. When his show drew a generous laugh out of Tony in exchange, Bucky thought it could easily be the sweetest sound he had heard in forever.

  
***

They spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around the fair together. They stopped by every little stand and every time they were looking at a new project, Tony had something to say. He would appreciate the way every piece was put together so carefully, comment on the pros and cons of the system in use for the long term if it was intended to be used in the future as a product, and he would always think of a way to make things work better and come with not one but various enhancements in mere minutes. Feeling like watching some kind of a talent show, Bucky enjoyed every second of it. He wondered what Tony would be capable of if he had access to decent tools and parts he could put his hands on, and maybe a simple workshop. If this is how Tony usually was, Bucky thought, how in the world did he manage to stay sane as a ghost all this time?

Tony seemed annoyed by his own constant ranting every once in a while, probably thinking he was boring Bucky, but Bucky was so hungry for every word coming out of the self-proclaimed genius he didn’t mind assuring him that no, he wasn’t bored, _at all_. This was the most fun he had in decades and he wasn’t about to let that go, though he mentally noted to haunt the bastards who made Tony think his speech was something to be wary of.

Long into their conversation about how clean energy was the key to securing the world's future, Bucky decided that he had a lot to learn about Tony, but hopefully, he’d have enough time to discover him further.

***

  
At the end of the day, there were no questions nor a single thought about saying goodbye. It was obvious to both men that they enjoyed each other’s company and didn’t want to part ways yet, if ever.

Maybe spending time together had awakened something more than plain joy inside of him, Bucky mused silently, trusting that time would tell him eventually. He realized he didn’t have to be alone anymore and felt himself smile in happiness and sweet relief.


End file.
